Portable hand-held data terminals enjoy a variety of uses in many different industries. A desirable characteristic of these data terminals is that they must be convenient to operate by a user while he is engaged in performing other, more demanding tasks. Specifically, a user may find it necessary to operate the data terminal with one hand, thus leaving his other hand free. For example, the user of a data terminal equipped with a optical character set reader, may find it desirable to lift or otherwise shift small items of inventory with one hand while simultaneously operating the data terminal's optical character set reader to scan an optical character set affixed to that item. Likewise, it may be desirable to mate a data terminal equipped with a optical character set reader with a removable pistol grip assembly. The pistol grip assembly's trigger mechanism must be mechanically or electrically connected to the data terminal so that the user, by depressing the trigger, may command the data terminal's optical character set reader to scan a target. However, data terminals must capable of operating in severe, often hostile environments. Thus it is desirable for these data terminals to have environmentally sealed housings to prevent damage to their internal electronic components. Consequently, means of connecting the pistol grip assembly's trigger mechanism through an environmentally sealed housing may prove to be expensive to manufacture and difficult to design.